Method of producing planographic printing-forms.



J. D. MORGAN. METHOD OF PRODUCING PLANOGRAPHIG PRINTING FORMS. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 31, 1906. RENEWED JUNE 11, 1914.

1,124,63. Patented Jan. 12, 1915.

8 0 To further ex him i 6 ahd illustrate the ease owith which table ovvork is done with a I Vilnesses In ven tor THE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHOTO LITHO.. WASHINGTON D c.

UNTTED STATES ATENT OFFIC JCHN ID. MORGAN, OF SUMMIT, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO JAMES G. COFFIN, TRUSTEE.

METHOD OF PRODUCING PLANOGRAPHIC PRINTING-FORMS.

lateness.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 12, 1915.

Application filed January 31, 1906, Serial No. 298,803. Renewed June 11, 1914. Serial No. 844,588.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, dorm D. MORGAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Summit, in the county of Union and btate of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods of Producing Planographic Printing-Forms, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to planographic printing plates for letter-press printing and to a method of producing such plates.

' Objects of the invention are to provide a method by which plates of excellent quality may be produced and by which desired changes in the letter-press matter, such as additions, subtractions, transpositions, substitutions, or other changes, found necessary or desirable from the reading of proof or otherwise, may be effected with rapidity and facility, and without affecting the qualness, as well as otherwise, on the final printa planographic printing plate whereby all changes desired may be made with rapidity fers. These and other objects of invention will in part be obvious and will in part be forth hereinafter.

By the method included in the invention, the greatest facility and flexibility in the letter-press matter is affordedand the print- Moreover the printing plate is not handled or altered in any way in the making of cortion of planographic plates for letter-press work wherein proof corrections and other the final printing plate have proven utterly unpractical and it is also known that rencss and beauty of the character outlines, thus seriously affecting the quality of the as above indicated, these difliculties and obiections, together with other difficulties and ity of the design as to sharpness and clearing plate; to provide a method for securing and facility and without the use of retransmore fully set matter of correction and changing of the ing plate is obtained by a single transfer.

rections. It is well known that the producchanges are attempted upon the surface of peated retransfers tend to destroy the sharpfinished product. By the present invention,

' overcome or are entirely ob- Ob]6Cl1lOIlS, are viated.

The accompanyingdrawings, referred to herein and forming a part hereof, illustrate one manner of carrying out certain steps of the method included in the invention.

Of the drawings: Figure 1 shows two transfer sheets carrying identical matter; Fig. 2 illustrates a printing plate secured from one of the said transfer sheets; Fig. 3 illustrates a sheet carrying an impression taken from a plate such as is shown in Fig. 2, upon which desired proof corrections have been indicated; Fig. 4: shows a recomposed line in which the indicated changes have been made; Fig. 5 shows an auxiliary or assembling sheet upon which the corrected line has been placed in proper relation to the original correct matter prior to securing the final plate; Fig. 6 shows the corrected line in register with the remaining letterpress matter without the use of an auxiliary or assembling sheet; and Fig. 7 shows a planographic printing plate embodying the corrected letter-press matter.

The method included in the invention contemplates the placing of a plurality of impressions of identical letter'press matter upon separate transfer surfaces in a suitable medium, the said impressions being preferably exact duplicates, but being at least duplicates in words, lines and paragraphs. Such impressions may in certain cases, i desired, vary as to size and style of type used and as to the matter being leaded or not. In the case of machines operating under the control of a controller, such variations as those indicated might be permitted without afi'ecting-the efficacy of the various impressions. So far as the present invention is concerned it is immaterial how the letter-press matter is composed, as it may be done by hand if desired, or by a suitable composing machine. The machine set forth in application for patent Ser. No. 76,783, filed by Charles T. Moore on Sept. 27, 1901, is well adapted to furnish suitable composed letter-press matter. To secure the duplicate copies, duplicate tapes may be used on different machines or the same tape may be used on different machines. The machine set forth in application for patent Ser. No. 203,713, filed by Auguste L. Saltzman on April 18, 190%, is also well adapted to furnish composed letter-press matter for the said transfer surfaces. The invention contemplates using some of the said transfer surfaces for securing duplications or reproductions of the matter for purposes of proof reading in order to determine and ind cate what alterations, corrections, or other changes may be desirable or necessary and the using of other of the transfer surfaces after such alterations, corrections, or other changes have been made in securing a final planographic printing plate. Where certain parts of the matter have been recomposed and placed upon suitable transfer surfaces, such surfaces and the parts of the original transfer surfaces which require no changes may be used in con]unct1on with each other to secure the final correct printing plate, and this is contemplated by the invention in certain of its features.

The particular manner of carrying out the method illustrated herein by way of eX- a mple shows the use of one transfer surface for securing a planographic printing plate of the matter as composed and from which any desired number of proof impressions may be taken on ordinary paper and the corrections or other changes in the matter indicated thereupon. Letter-press matter incorporating the desired changes or corrections is then placed upon a suitable transfer surface or surfaces, and such matter, together with the parts of the matter carried by one of the original transfer surfaces which are to stand, or to be finally utilized, are brought into proper relation or registration, so that the matter carried by the said various surfaces may be in the desired final form of such matter, and all is then transferred to a unitary planographic plate and such plate may then be prepared for printing planographically.

In connection with the transfer surfaces, as illustrated in the drawings, certain regis tration devices are shown.

T he invention in its broader limited to the forms of such shown, nor to the use of such devices in any form. In practice, however, it Will be found exceedingly convenient and useful to use registration devices, and in certain as pects of the invention the use of such devices in connection with the carrying out of the method is contemplated and in certain further aspects of the invention the use of registrati on devices embodying certain particular features is contemplated, as will be hereinafter set forth.

Referring to the drawings herewith, which illustrate one manner of carrying out certain steps of the method included in the invention, as hereinbefore stated, Fig. 1 shows two transfer surfaces carrying letterpress matter, the matter upon one surface being a duplicate of that upon the other surface. It will be understood that transfer surfaces of various kinds may be employed, the particular nature of such surface not being material so far as the present invention is concerned. It is only necessary that a surface be used which is capable of taking a clear and sharp impression of letter-press aspects is not devices herein matter in a suitable medium and of then transferring the impression practically unimpaired to another surface by proper treatment. Various offset surfaces might be found convenient and useful in this connec tion. The transfer paper so well known in lithography and planography may be used. A suitable medium for use with such surfaces is lithographic transfer ink.

' Surfaces of any extent or shape may be employed which may be found convenient for the particular work at hand. As illustrated herein the surfaces are of a shape and size suitable for a page or column form. As heretofore noted, it is not absolutely essential that the subject-matter upon the two plates be precisely the same in every respect, as types of different points or sizes might be used in the various sheets, and one page might be leaded and the other not, if desired. It is necessary, however, that the subject-matter run line for line, word for word, and letter for letter. Where the composing device used is capable of using a different letter or a Wrong font letter or other kindred errors it will, of course, be necessary to have the two proofs identical. It will be understood, however, that generally the sheets are exact duplicates of each other. One of the proof sheets is indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings by the reference numeral 1 and the other sheet by the reference numeral 2. One of the said sheets, say for example the sheet 1, may then be laid down upon a planographic plate 3, which may be of any suitable material, such as zinc or aluminum, or upon a stone, if desired, and the composed letter-press matter carried upon the transfer surface of the sheet will then be transferred to the plate 3 in a manner Which is well known in the art. Should the surface be an offset surface, pressure alone may be sufficient to affect the transfer. WVith transfer paper it is usually done by pressure and damping, pressure again and then stripping ofi' the paper, leaving the matter upon the plate. The said plate is then prepared for printing planographically in any suitable manner, as by a slight etching, gumming, and inking, the impressions then being taken by damping and inking in a manner well known to the art. Any desired number of proof impressions may be taken from the said plate, and corrections and other changes desired may be indicated upon one or upon several of the said impressed sheets. In Fig. 3 of the drawings such a proof sheet 4 is illustrated and in the said sheet the second line, indicated by the reference numeral 5, has two desired changes marked therein, in the nature of corrections of typographic errors. The errors in the said line are easily corrected by recomposing the line upon a suitable transfer surface, such a recomposed line series of registering perforations 7.

being shown in Fig. i, and indicated by the reference numeral 6. The said line may then be placed in the same relation to the rest of the letter-press matter as the incorrect line originally sustained. All other necessary corrections, and also other changes such as additions, deletions, or re-arrangements may be made throughout the entire letter-press matter in a similar manner. The matter in its final desired form will then appear upon the transfer surface 2, or upon the said transfer surface together with the additional transfer surfaces used in composing the corrected or new matter, and the entire letter-press matter as so constituted may then be laid down upon a unitary planographic plate with a view to securing at once the desired final form of the matter upon a planographic printing plate or form.

Registering devices will be found of great utility in maintaining a proper relation between the various transfer surfaces carrying the different parts of the letter-press matter, and the use of such devices is contemplated in certain aspects of the invention. In certain further aspects of the invention the use of such devices of a form in which they sustain a definite relation to each line of the letter-press matter is contemplated. As illustrated herein, the said registering devices are shown as sustaining a definite relation to each of the lines and are further shown as sustaining a definite relation to each end of the line. The form of such registering devices illustrated in the drawings comprises perforations 7 definitely located with respect to each end of each of the lines. Their use at each end of the line facilitates the quick and accurate placing of the line in proper relation to the other lines.

So far as regards certain features of the invention the particular manner in which the corrected and changed parts of the letter-press matter and the original portions of such matter which are to stand or be finally utilized, are brought into proper relation or registration is immaterial, but according to other features of the invention, the said different components of the letterpress matter are brought into their proper relation by the use of registering devices, and in the illustrated manner of effecting this, registering devices of the form just described are shown.

In Fig. 5 of the drawings an additional device which may be styled an auxiliary or assembling sheet, indicated herein by the reference numeral 8 is shown as being used for bringing the surfaces into proper relation prior to the final transfer. The said sheet is shown as ruled with registeringlines 9 which bear a definite relation to the It will however, that the particular and also of the marks It is only essenbe obvious, forms of the marks 7 9 may be varied as desired. tial that these marks bear a definite relation to each other and to the lines of letter-press matter carried on the transfer surfaces. By way of illustration, the transfer surface 2 is shown as laid down thereon with the line 5 cut out and the surface carrying line 6 inserted in place thereof. The perforation 7 may be brought into register with the intersections of the marks 9 so as to bring the different surfaces into their proper relation. After all necessary changes have been made, it will nowbe clear that the sheet 8 will carry the matter upon suitable transfer surfaces in the desired final form and that this may then be laid down upon a suitable planographic plate, such a plate being indicated by the reference numeral 10. The transfer of the letter-press matter to the said plate may be accomplished in the usual manner dependent upon the nature of the transfer surface and the plate 10 may then be prepared for printing planographically, .1

as for instance, by gumming, etching and inking.

The use of the auxiliary sheet 8, while frequently of great convenience in the assembling and disposition of the surfaces carrying the matter in its final form, is not necessarily essential. The corrected lines or other corrected units may be brought into proper relation or registration with the remaining parts of the matter in other ways. One way of so bringing them into such relation or registration is shown in Fi g. 6 of the drawings and in connection with the corrected line 6 heretofore used for a similar purpose. In this case the line 6 is superposed over the incorrect line 5 upon the sheet 2 and the sheet 2 may be then transferred to the printing plate 10 in the usual manner. The line 6, in this instance, may be brought into proper relation to the remainder of the letter-press matter carried upon the surface 2 with ease and celerity by bringing its registering perforation 7 into exact register with those originally carried by the sheet 2 in connection with the line 5.

It will be understood that the method is not limited to the use of two original transfer surfaces for carrying the letter-press matter, nor to a single proof plate, nor to a single set of proofs, nor to a single set of changes or corrections, but in certain of its aspects it embraces a plurality of all of these and revises and re-revises may be obtained as may be found desirable or necessary. It will be obvious that if a plurality of original impressions upon transfer surfaces be taken, two of these might be used, one for securing a proof plate and the other for combination with changed or corrected matter to secure a revised proof plate, and

that this method may be extended so far as necessary, and that however far extended there would still be available original impressions upon the transfer surfaces for the final transfer and the matter upon such surfaces would then be in the desired final form prior to the transfer to the final planographic printing plate.

here it is desirable to preserve the transfer surface from the action of the air or of moisture, as in cases Where a long interval will elapse before the printing plate is to be made, the transfer surface Which is to be used for the final printing plate may be hermetically sealed away from atmospheric action, or may be preserved in a thoroughly dry atmosphere in any suitable or convenient manner, as by being kept in a closed vessel With a suitable drying substance, such as calcium chlorid.

From the foregoing, the method included in this invention and one manner of carrying out the same will be clearly understood and it will be further seen, that the said method realizes the objects of invention and the advantages herein set forth, together With other objects and advantages.

What I do claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is;

1. The method of preparing a letter-press planographic printing plate or form which comprises placing duplicate impressions of identical letter-press matter on a plurality of transfer surfaces in a suitable medium, transferring the matter from one of said surfaces to a planographic printing plate and taking impressions from such plate for use in reading proof and for indicating changes or corrections desired to be made in the letter-press matter, placing letterpress matter incorporating the desired corrections and other changes upon a suitable transfer surface or surfaces in a suitable medium, bringing the matter upon the said surface or surfaces and the parts of the letter-press matter upon one of the original transfer surfaces which is to stand, or be finally utilized, into proper relation or registration, and transferring the matter from the said surfaces to a planographic plate, and preparing said plate for printing planographically.

2. The method of preparing a letter-press planographic printing plate or form which comprises placing duplicate impressions of identical letter-press matter on a plurality of transfer surfaces in a suitable medium, transferring the matter from one of said surfaces to a planographic printing plate, taking impressions from such plate for use in reading proof and for indicating changes or corrections desired to be made in the letter-press matter, placing letter-press matter incorporating the desired corrections 1 and other changes upon a. suitable transfer surface or surfaces in a suitable medium, bringing such surface or surfaces and the parts of one of the original transfer surfaces which are to stand, or to be finally utilized, into proper relation or registration, so that the matter carried by the said various surfaces may be in the desired final form for printing, transferring the said matter to a unitary planographic plate, and

preparing said plate for printing planographically.

3. The method of preparing a letter-press planographic printing plate or form which comprises placing duplicate impressions of identical letter-press matter on a plurality of transfer surfaces in a suitable medium, placing registering devices in definite relation to the lines of letter-press matter, transferring the matter from one of said surfaces to a planographic printing plate and taking impressions from such plate for use in reading proof and for indicating changes and corrections desired to be made in the letterpress matter, placing letter-press matter incorporating the desired corrections and other changes upon a suitable transfer surface or surfaces in a suitable medium, placing registering devices in a corresponding relation to the lines of letter-press matter carried by the said surface or surfaces, bringing the matter upon the said surface or surfaces and the parts of the matter upon one of the original transfer surfaces Which is to stand, or be finally utilized, into proper relation or registration by means of said registering devices, so that the matter as carried by he said related or registered surfaces will be in the final desired form, then transferring the matter from the said surfaces to a planographic printing plate, and preparing the said plate for printing planographically.

4. The method of preparing a letter-press planographic printing plate or form Which comprises placing duplicate impressions of identical letter-press matter on a plurality of transfer surfaces in a suitable medium,

I placing registering devices in definite relation to the lines of letter-press matter, transferring the matter from one of said surfaces to a planographic printing plate and taking impressions from such plate for use in reading proof and for indicating changes and corrections desired to be made in the letterpress matter, placing letter-press matter incorporating the desired corrections and other changes upon a suitable transfer surface or surfaces in a suitable medium, placing registering devices in a corresponding relation to the lines of letter-press matter carried by the said surface or surfaces, bringing such surface or surfaces and the parts of one of the original transfer surfaces which are to stand, or to be finally utilized, into proper relation or registration by means of said registering devices, so that the matter as carried by the said related or registered surfaces will be in the final de sired form, then transferring the matter from the said surfaces to a planographic printing plate, and preparing the said plate for printing planographically.

5. The method of preparing a letter-press planographic printing plate or form which comprises placing duplicate impressions of identical letter-press matter on a plurality of transfer surfaces in a suitable medium, transferring the matter from one of said surfaces to a planographic printing plate and taking impressions from such plate for use in reading proof and for indicating changes or corrections desired to be made in the letter-press matter, placing a changed or corrected impression of each line in which corrections or changes are desired upon a separate transfer surface in a suitable medium, substituting the said line for the corresponding line upon another of the original transfer surfaces, making such substitution for each line in which a change or correction is desired until the last-mentioned original surface and the said substituted surfaces represent the letter-press matter in its desired final form, transferring the matter as so constituted and arranged from the said surfaces to a planographic plate, and preparing said plate for printing planographically.

6. The method of preparing a letter-press planographic printing plate or form which comprise placing duplicate impressions of identical letter-press matter on a plurality of transfer surfaces in a suitable medium, placing registering devices in definite relation to each line of letter-press matter upon at least one of the said transfer surfaces, transferring the matter from one of said surfaces to a planographic printing plate and taking impressions from such plate for use in reading proof, and for indicating changes or corrections desired to be made in the letter-press matter, placing a changed or corrected impression of each line in which corrections or changes are desired upon a separate transfer surface in a suitable medium, placing a registering device in the same definite relation to the said line, bringing the said line into the same relation or registration with the other parts of the letter-press matter upon one of the original transfer surfaces bearing registering devices, by means of such registering devices, treating each line in which a change or correction is desired in a similar manner until the letter-press matter as carried by the said Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the surfaces represents the desired final form, transferring the matter as so constituted and arranged from the said surfaces to a pianographic plate, and preparing said plate for printing plancgraphically.

7. The method of preparing a letter-press planographic printing plate or form which comprises the taking of a plurality of duplicate impressions of identical letter-press matter on a plurality of transfer surfaces in a suitable medium, using one or more of said surfaces in securing a planographic printing plate to be used for taking proof impressions, and preserving one or more of said impressions to be used in securing a final planographic printing plate.

8. The method of preparing a letter-press planographic printing plate or form which comprises the taking of a plurality of duplicate impressions of identical letter-press matter on a plurality of transfer surfaces in a suitable medium, using one or more of said surfaces in securing a planographic printing plate to be used for taking proof impressions, recomposing such matter as is to be changed and placing same upon a transfer surface in a suitable medium, and using the transfer surface carrying the recomposed matter in conjunction with the parts of the original transfer surface carrying the unchanged parts of the letter-press matter to secure a final planographic printing plate.

9. The method of preparing a letter press plancgraphic printing plate which comprises taking a plurality of duplicate impressions, each in line series, of identical letter-press matter on transfer surfaces in a suitable medium, using one or more of said transfer surfaces to make a plancgraphic printing plate to be used for making proof sheets, recomposing any part of the original matter which is to be changed or corrected and placing it upon a transfer surface in line series, placing one of the original duplicate impressions, or a part thereof, with its lines in definite relation with a registering device and bringing the line or lines of recomposed matter on their transfer surface into definite relation with said registering device and thereby with said original impression and then making the final and correct printing plate therefrom.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

J OHN D. MORGAN.

Witnesses:

E. M. PEASE, A. L. SALTZMAN.

Commissioner of IEatents,

Washington, D. C. 

